THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all. Let me just be
to the point. A good energy plan is important for our
national security, and it's important for job
security. Around the table, I'm honored to be sitting with
people who represent thousands of working people. And they
asked the same question I asked: What can the federal
government do to help people find work? What can we do to
create jobs?

And this energy bill that we're working on is a jobs
bill. And when we explore for power, U.S. power, U.S. energy
in ANWR, we're not only helping us become less dependent on foreign
sources of crude oil and foreign sources of energy, we're creating jobs
for American workers, jobs so that men and women can put food on the
table.

That's the question these two leaders ask all the
time: How best can I help the members of my union find
work? What can I do to make them -- you know, be able to
feed their families. It's the same question I ask. And
that's why we're linked up on this issue. We've got
Republicans sitting around this table, we've got Democrats sitting
around this table, we've probably got some people who don't care about
politics sitting around the table. But all of us know that
the energy bill that's now stuck in the Senate, that can't get voted on
in the Senate, will be good for America. It will be good for our
foreign policy, good for our national security, and more importantly,
it will be good for jobs.

And so I want to thank you, Jimmy, for your
leadership. And Doug, thank you very much. I
appreciate you all working with us. I appreciate members of
my Cabinet for coming. Together we can show the country that
when we work together, we can do what's right, do what's right for the
working folks. And so I'm honored you would let me come
by. It's a privilege to be around this
table. There's no telling what kind of conversations have
gone on around this table. (Laughter.)

But it is a huge honor. Thank you, sir. Doug,
thank you very much. (Applause.)